Pining in Riverdale
by meganebean
Summary: Cheryl has longed for Betty from afar for awhile. The only problem- Betty is stuck on Archie. When they connect at a party one night, will it be enough to spark some chemistry between the two girls?
1. Prologue

I never understood why Betty was so into Archie. So what, he's in shape. So am I. And I have red hair. I'm also less annoying, too.

I had watched her pine over him for years. It never got any easier for me. And with the drama with my brother and her sister dating, I stood no chance.

Everyone thinks that I'm this huge bitch, but really I'm not. I'm defensive, yes, but if your whole school started rumors about you and your brother dating, wouldn't you be, too? Because I am single and I love my brother, they jump to incest as the conclusion. Idiots.

I understand the confusion over me being single, though. If I'm being honest, I am a real catch. Head cheerleader, beautiful.. the whole package. But the boys at this school don't interest me at all. She does.

So, every day, I pine over her while she pines over Archie. It's pretty pathetic, I know.

"Are you going to the party tonight, Cher?" Taylor asked me, drawing my attention away from the blonde.

"Don't call me Cher. I hate that name," I snapped at her. Her face fell a little and it made me feel remorse for a brief second.

"Sorry," she apologized and fidgeted at her seat across from me.

"It's okay," I tried to soften the blow a little. "But to answer your question, no."

"It's going to be really fun," she tried convincing me. Nothing would get me to go to one of Kevin's parties. Everyone got ridiculously hammered there and made fools of themselves. "Betty will be there," Taylor said quietly so that no one else would hear.

"Really?" I perked up, sounding a bit more enthusiastic than I had intended.

"Uh huh," she responded, nodding.

Taylor was the only person that I had trusted with this secret. The secret that I was into girls and more specifically, Betty.

I glanced back over to my crush and saw her looking off into the distance as Veronica and Archie flirted. Jughead was glued to his laptop, as always. I was annoyed that no one was giving Betty the attention that she deserved. They never did.

"Okay, I'm in," I caved.

"Awesome!" My best friend celebrated. "So, I will pick you up, yeah?"

"No, I'll pick you up. We are not showing up in your shitty car," I paused for a moment, realizing that I, again, sounded harsh. "I'm sorry. You know what I mean."

"Yeah, no. It's cool," she played it off, but I knew my words had hurt her. She wasn't as blessed as I was and she had worked hard to buy her car. It really was a piece of shit, though. "So, you will pick me up?"

"Of course, silly," I said, cheerfully, trying to put my mean comment in the past.

"Cool!" She grabbed her backpack and stood from the lunch table. "I'll see you around seven-ish then?"

"Yes, I'll see you then, Tay," I answered.

A party with Betty Cooper. I couldn't imagine her being the partying type. Did she even drink? Would stupid Archie be there, also? My mind reeled, but my stomach filled with excitement.

I decided to leave school early, to prepare for the weekend.


	2. Chapter One: Kevin's Party

I checked my reflection in my rearview mirror as I waited for Taylor to make her appearance. I fixed my red lipstick and flipped my hair a little. Perfect.

Putting my mirror back into position, I rolled my eyes as Taylor finally came out of her house.

"About time," I scolded her, but we both knew that I didn't really care. I just loved giving her a hard time.

"Shut up, bitch," she said to me as she climbed into my Jeep. I loved this car, even though my mother said that it wasn't 'suited for a lady'. "Are you excited?"

"To see our high school sloshed and humping each other? No," I answered and started driving in the direction of Kevin's house.

"No, for the possibility of you and Betty being sloshed and humping each other," she said, smirking at me.

"Oh my god, shut up," I said quickly, trying to will away the blush creeping up my neck.

"Okay, okay," she laughed. "Well, I am excited to see Kevin," she admitted.

"Taylor, he is gay," I emphasized. I don't know what her obsession with her was. We all knew he was gay, he just wasn't out yet. His father was the sheriff and a man's man, so I didn't blame him.

"You don't know that," she protested.

"Come on," I argued, raising my eyebrow at her.

"Well, even if he is, he may be in the stage where he is trying to prove that he isn't. I wouldn't mind being a casualty to that."

"You are ridiculous," I laughed and she shrugged her shoulders.

Taylor had been my best friend for a decade now. We both came from very different families, but we hit it off immediately nonetheless. We met in kindergarten, where I saved her from a bully on the playground.

"So, what's your plan?" She asked as she checked herself out in the mirror.

"What do you mean?"

"Your plan. Betty. What is your plan?" She repeated.

"I don't have a plan," I said. A 'plan' had never occurred to me.

"So, you're just going to stare at her longingly?" She asked me, with a blank stare on her face.

"No!" I defended. That was exactly what I had planned on doing.

"Uh huh," she said, not believing me. "Well, lucky for you, I will be your wingman tonight," she finished with a big smile on her face. A smile that I knew meant trouble.

"I don't want you-"

"It's right here! Don't pass it," she interrupted and pointed to Kevin's house. There were cars on both sides of the roads and music booming. I was so lost in my head about this 'plan', that I had spaced out and almost drove by.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Betty's light blue Volkswagen. I parked behind a big black truck and checked my reflection again.

"Come on, hurry," Taylor pestered me, already out of the car.

"Okay, shit," I replied, jumping down out of my Jeep. I smoothed down the red dress that I was wearing. I hoped Betty would notice how it was perfectly fitted to my body.

"Damn, you look hot!" I heard a voice next to me. I knew immediately that it was Reggie.

"Thank you, Reggie. I know," I sighed and tried ignoring him.

He was a football player at Riverdale High. He was handsome and plenty of the girls at school liked him. I just was not one of those girls.

"So, you wanna dance?" He put his heavy arm across my shoulders.

"No. I need to get a drink first, okay?" I tried letting him down gently and pulled away from him as I entered the house.

I think the whole school was there. It was so crowded that I didn't know if I would realistically even find Betty.

"Well, you find me after you are good and liquored up," he winked.

I gave him a fake smile and he took that as a win, going to find his buddies.

"Ugh," I let out the breath I had been holding.

"He's hot. You are crazy," Taylor said, handing me a drink in a red solo cup.

"He is all yours," I replied before taking a big drink. I hated the taste of beer, but I knew I would need to numb my mind a little to deal with these people all night. Maybe I needed some liquid courage, too. And maybe tonight, I would talk to Betty for more than one minute.

"I wish," she moped. Her spirits lifted quickly however, as Kevin made an appearance.

"Hey, ladies," he said, in his typical chipper manner.

"Hi, Kevin," Taylor gushed and I internally cringed. It was so obvious that she had the hots for him.

He smiled, sweetly, at her. "Do you girls wanna play some beer pong? Jug and I need a team to go against," he asked us, hopeful.

"Yes!" Taylor eagerly responded. Before I could protest, she was dragging me into the living room.

The game was already set up. I was shocked to see Jughead here, but he seemed in his element. I guess the Serpents do like drinking, so it made sense.

"Kevin so wants me," Taylor whispered to me, excitedly.

I would have protested, but Kevin did have his eyes on her right now. Maybe he was in the 'prove I'm straight stage'. I didn't have too much time to think about it. I was busy scanning the room for Betty.

"Okay, are you ready?" Kevin asked us, snapping me back into reality.

"Yeah, game on," I replied. I'm very competitive in nature.

He took his shot and landed one right in the middle cup. It was an easy shot, though.

"Bam!" He cheered and Taylor just smiled, dreamily.

Jughead threw his and it landed in the same cup. That meant that we had to down four cups.

"Suck on that!" The brooding Serpent king cheered. I smiled a little, but warned them that they wouldn't be in the lead for long.

After a few minutes of playing, my heart skipped a beat as I saw her enter the room. She was wearing a modest light blue sweater and jeans. She always dressed so wholesome and there was something that drove me wild about it.

She sat next to the fireplace, watching the game. We made eye contact briefly, but I looked away quickly. As confident as I normally was, I shied away when it came to her. She made me nervous and that was not a feeling that I was used to.

I kicked my game into high gear and we ended up winning, no thanks to Taylor. I loved her, but she sucked at beer pong.

"Congrats," Reggie said, coming up behind me out of nowhere.

"Thanks, Reggie," I said, trying to make my way over to Betty casually. I had gained a little courage from the beer and I wanted to go 'bump into her'. That was my plan, I had decided.

"So, do you want to dance now?" He asked, grabbing onto my arm.

"No," I shook my arm away from his grip. "And don't put your hands on me again," I snapped.

"You don't have to be such a bitch," he angrily said, looking offended.

"I'm no-"

"Hey, don't talk to her like that," I heard a voice behind me. Her voice.

"Like what? Just stating facts," he said, smugly and shrugged his shoulders, heading back to his friends.

I turned to face her. My breath caught in my throat. While most girls had their hair wild and free, hers was pulled into a perfect ponytail. She was not most girls. That's what I loved about her.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that," I said, once I was able to catch my breath.

"Yes I did. He is a jerk," she said matter-of-factly. She smiled sweetly at me, causing me to relax a little. There was something about her that was so comforting to me.

"That's true," I responded simply. Normally I was great with words, but when it came to her it was like my brain shut off.

Looking over Betty's shoulder, I saw Taylor in the background, motioning for me to make a move.

"So, do you want to get a drink?" I asked quickly, panicking to make some sort of move before the moment was over.

"Oh, I-" she started to protest.

"Just one? You have to celebrate my win with me," I suggested. I was proud of myself. Usually I was tongue-tied around her.

"Okay," she smiled, giving in. I internally cheered.

I motioned for her to go ahead and I followed her into the kitchen. I would be lying if I said I didn't check her out in the process.

"So, what do you want to drink?" She asked me, snapping me out of my daydream.

"Oh, um," I fumbled with my words and I made my way next to her at the kitchen island. There was a variety of liquors, juices, and a keg. I had my fill of beer for the night, so I opted for orange juice and vodka. "This is like the poor man's version of a mimosa," I stated, eliciting a laugh out of her.

"That is.. a very good way of putting it, actually," she said in between giggles.

"I have a way with words at times," I cockily said. Our eyes locked as she took a sip of her drink and butterflies invaded my stomach.

"Are you alright?" She asked me and I suddenly realized I had been staring at her.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I muttered and took a big drink. "Just spaced out for a second."

"Maybe that beer got to your head," she suggested, smiling at me.

We made out way into the living room and squeezed into a seat next to two horny high schoolers making out. We shared a look of disgust and a laugh.

"It's like a breeding ground here," I said and repositioned myself so that my arm was on the armrest and I was facing her. She looked uncomfortable and I wondered if it was because of me or solely because of the environment.

"I know. People nowadays are so into hooking up. It's sad, really," she said, shifting her weight a little and facing me, much to my delight.

"What do you mean by 'sad'?"

"Well, it's silly," she answered shyly, turning her head a bit.

"I'm sure it isn't," I said, hanging on her every word.

"Okay, well," she started off, taking a modest sip of her orange juice and vodka. "I find it sad, because things are just so different nowadays. I wish we still lived in a time where people courted each other, you know?" She looked at me quizzically, as if to make sure that I was following. I nodded. "Opening doors. Bringing flowers on dates. Holding hands."

She shifted in her seat again, as if nervous that I would think that it was a silly idea.

"I agree completely," I said. And I did agree. I wanted that more than anything. With her. I wanted to hold open doors for her. Bring her whatever her favorite flower is. Holding her hand and stroking it with my thumb.

"You do?" She perked up a little.

"Absolutely. Dating is supposed to be something magical. Everyone just rushes straight to the end game. Sex is good and all, but I want butterflies. I want romance. I want love," I finished and immediately felt self-conscious. I had never opened up to someone like this before. I usually had my wall built far up.

"Exactly," she said softly.

We were locked in a gaze again. Her blue eyes were incredible. I caught myself glancing between her beautiful eyes and her plump pink lips.

"So," I started off, not sure where I was going. I just had to break the silence before I suffocated from the want.

"So," she repeated. I could have sworn that I saw her look at my lips, too. But there was no time to delve in further, as we were interrupted.

"B, can we go home?" Veronica sobbed to her. Betty jumped up from the couch and wrapped her in a hug.

"Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

I rolled my eyes, but my heart warmed a little at her caring nature.

"Archie.. He.." Veronica's voice cracked and she gave up trying to find the words. She unraveled into a puddle of tears.

Betty looked over to me and silently apologized. I waved her off and smiled slightly. I understood. It sucked, but I understood.

I watched helplessly as they walked out the door. I sighed and finished my drink. Looking over to the coffee table, I saw her red cup with lipstick stained on the edge. I grabbed the cup and decided to finish it for her. Not that I wanted to be close to her in every way or anything. I just didn't want to waste the alcohol.


	3. Chapter Two: Pop's

"So, how did it go? I saw you two hanging out," Taylor asked me, way too loudly for my hungover state.

"Ugh, shh," I groaned. We were in my bed and as I was nursing my hangover, she was flipping through dvds. I wondered how she was so perky. She had drank a lot more than I had.

"Oh, drink your orange juice and you shh," she said. I rolled my eyes, but followed her instructions before continuing.

"It went alright. But then Veronica dragged her away from me. Over stupid Archie, of course."

"Oh my god, he is so annoying," she replied as she popped a dvd in. I rolled my eyes when I saw what she had picked, but I smiled at her words.

"I know. He ruins everything," I responded and sat up in bed. "This again?"

"Hey, Mean Girls is a classic," she responded and flopped down in bed next to me. "So, what did you guys talk about?"

I smiled, reliving the conversation we had. "Well, she saved me from Reggie being an ass. Then she talked about what she wants in a relationship."

"What?!" Taylor exclaimed.

"It's not like that. We were just talking about how our peers are horny idiots," I replied. I knew what she was thinking.

"So, the girl you like, hung out with you all night. And described what she wants in a relationship. Are you sure it wasn't anything more than just complaining about 'our peers'?"

"Well, when you put it that way.." I trailed off, grinning. I knew I was probably getting my hopes up, but it felt good to pretend. She looked at me with a knowing smile. "And we did have this amazing eye contact," I gushed.

She got too enamored in the movie to continue our conversation, leaving me to day dream.

.

.

"I'll take a strawberry milkshake," I put in my order. I was still a bit hungover and Taylor and I decided to head to Pop's. his milkshakes always cured my hangovers.

"Okay, I'll put that order in, ladies," Mrs. Lodge smiled at us and headed over to the counter. Everywhere I looked in this damn town, there was a reminder of Archie. Even Mrs. Lodge reminded me of him, being as he was dating her daughter.

"So, Kevin was looking hot at the party, huh?" My best friend asked me.

"Yes, but.. hello, he's gay," I reminded her and she scoffed.

"Whatever. That is a minor detail," she replied, causing me to laugh.

"You are ridiculous, you know that?" I asked her and she shrugged her shoulders, taking a sip of her water.

She continued talking to me, but I wasn't paying attention, as the blonde haired beauty walked through the doors. My eyes followed her as she made small talk with Mrs. Lodge.

"Hello? Are you even listening to me?" Taylor's voice snapped me out of my trance.

"What? Yes. Of course," I lied. She could see right through me. She followed my gaze and grinned.

"Betty!" My heart pounded, hearing Taylor beckon my crush. I turned my attention to my best friend, wide eyed. She smirked briefly.

"Hi, how are you guys?" Betty asked, simply being polite. I could tell that she was a bit confused as to why Taylor had called her over to us. "Sorry that I had to leave in a rush. Best friend duties," the blonde apologized to me.

"Oh, it's okay. I completely understand," I said, quickly. I didn't want her to spend another second thinking I was upset at her. We shared a smile and I got lost in her eyes, yet again.

"Betty! Over here!" came the voice of my nemesis. All three of us glanced in the direction of his voice. Archie waved, raising his too-short tshirt up to his navel. Would I kill him to buy a shirt that actually fit?

"Sorry, I gotta go. It was good seeing you again," Betty said and it made my heart flutter, despite the disappointment of her leaving. "Both of you." She corrected herself. I wondered if it had meant something. That she was happy to see me.

"Stupid fucking Archie," I muttered under my breath. Veronica and Jughead were there, too, to be fair. And judging by Veronica curled up into Archie's side, the two had made up quickly.

"Yeah, well, fuck him," Taylor said, ever supportive of me.

I smiled, appreciating the gesture. I continued stealing looks over to the table. Betty looked uncomfortable almost. I knew it was because of Archie and Veronica. It had to hurt seeing the person she loved, with someone else. Her best friend, even. It would be like me having to sit here while Taylor and Betty cuddled.

Taylor and I continued talking about various subjects- Kevin, school, the party, cheering. The usual. One thing was unusual, though. As I stole a look at Betty, one last time, she was staring at me. She looked startled that I had met her gaze, but smiled nonetheless. As we looked away and back to our company, my smile remained on my face.

Maybe she was happy to see me.


	4. Chapter Three: Cheryl's House

That Monday, I anxiously sat in Science, waiting Betty's arrival. Science quickly became my favorite subject. Not because of the teacher. Not because of the content. But because it was my only class with my crush. And we were seated alphabetically, which meant that we were right next to each other.

My heart fluttered when she made her appearance. She was wearing a plain, yellow sweater and a pair of light blue jeans. It was so refreshing how wholesome she dressed. The other girls in our school left nothing to the imagination.

"Hi," I managed to speak as she sat down. She smiled at me as she shuffled through her papers and got organized for the day.

"Hey, Cheryl," she replied. I loved the way she said my name. I loved the way she smiled at me. I loved everything about her.

"How was your weekend?" I asked, immediately feeling stupid. I knew how her weekend was. I was a part of it. Nevertheless, she answered, without coming to the realization that I was stupid, thankfully.

"It was okay. Mostly filled with Veronica and Archie drama." She rolled her eyes, but grinned before continuing. "I did get to hangout with this awesome redhead at Kevin's party, though."

"Oh really?" I asked. I hoped she meant me. But Archie had red hair, too. Did she mean me?

"Duh, silly," she giggled and nudged me with her elbow, bringing a wide smile to my face.

"Ohh," I replied. I was at a loss for words. Luckily, our teacher interrupted. We both turned our attention to him, however my mind was elsewhere. I was focused on her previous words. She thought I was awesome.

As class dragged on, I was submerged further into my fantasies. Holding her delicate hand in mine. Kissing her pink lips. Her warm body curled into mine.

"Hey, Betty," I blurted out, surprising myself. Where was I going with this?

"Hmm?" She tilted her head at me, waiting on me to continue. Her bright blue eyes sparkling.

"Do you want to come over after school?" Fuck it. I had to give it a shot. I held my breath as I waited for her response. Seconds seemed like hours. She seemed to be thinking and I was afraid that she was thinking of an excuse- a way to let me down easily. "You don't have-"

"Yes," she said, cutting me off. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Yes?" I asked, not 100% certain that I had heard her correctly.

"Yes," she reaffirmed and I'm sure the grin on my face looked ridiculous, but I didn't care. I was on top of the world.

We finalized the plans and I watched the clock for the rest of the day, impatiently waiting for 2:30.

Here we were- sitting in my backyard, drinking tea. In an awkward, awkward silence. If she felt awkward, she didn't show it. She was looking around at the big yard- the rose bushes, the statues..

"What are those targets for?" She asked, staring at the large bullseyes across from us.

"Oh, those are for my archery lessons," I responded. I hoped she didn't think that was weird.

"Archery? Like a bow and arrow?" Her eyes lit up, it seemed.

"Yeah," I chuckled at her reaction. She was now perched in the lawn chair, facing me.

"Could you.. show me?" She sounded so innocent. Yet, the dirty side of my mind, imagined her asking me that, in a completely different situation.

"Yes, absolutely." I shook the sexy thought from my head and walked over to the guest house, grabbing my bow and arrows. I walked over to her and wasted no time. She seemed to be anxious. I steadied the arrow and released it. Bullseye.

"Oh my god, how do you do that?" She asked excitedly, standing next to me now.

"Lots of practice, I guess," I modestly answered. I was feeling a bit cocky now, though, and continued. "I never miss."

"Never?" She asked, looking into my eyes now. Her eyes seemed different. Darker. Sultry?

"Never," I answered softly, wondering if I was making up this sexual tension.

"Prove it," she said, smirking playfully. I simply raised my eyebrow and looked back at the target. One, two, three arrows. Bullseye, bullseye, bullseye.

"Wow," I heard her whisper. She was staring at the target, in awe. "That's hot," she said, covering her mouth almost immediately, a blush forming on her cheeks. "I didn't mean, like, hot. That's weird."

I smiled, gaining some confidence from her confession. "It's okay. You're allowed to think it's hot. It is," I teased. This only made her blush grow deeper.

"I'm really thirsty," she suddenly said, making her way back to the table and taking a sip of her drink. Did I fluster her? Was Betty.. into me?

I followed her back over to the table, taking a drink myself. We sat in silence for a moment, before I made a suggestion. "Do you want to go watch a movie?"

She nodded.


End file.
